Dark Paths, Bright Stars
by Shadowpool95
Summary: Briarshadow, daughter of Squirrelstar and new warrior of DarkClan, can't help but latch onto her father's stories of adventure and dream of life on the opposite side of the borders. T for language and fighting and my own paranoid needs.
1. DarkClan Cats and Prologue

I must get a few things out of the way. Legalities and info so you don't get lost :3 This is my first fanfic, so don't kill me if it sucks. Please?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Warriors, and you are lucky. Because then it would have never been written! (Lazy me :)

**Here's your info -** Questions will pop into your mind. Don't be afraid to ask (in your many reviews you'll write, of course) but don't get mad if I won't give you a straight answer. It may ruin the surprise.

* * *

**DarkClan**

**Leader:**

Squirrelstar – Ginger she-cat with white on front left paw, dark green eyes. Mate to Eaglestorm. Mother to Briarshadow, Fawnfern and Rosestep. Formerly of ThunderClan

**Deputy:**

Tanstreak – Pale tan tabby tom, white on chest and back paws, blue eyes. Mate to Riversong.

**Medicine Cat:**

Grayberry – Gray she-cat with white on paws and tail tip. Blue eyes.

**Warriors:**

Leafpool– Pale brown she-cat with white on muzzle, chest, belly and paws, amber eyes. Mate to Blackfur. Mother to Ashpaw and Snowpaw. Formerly of ThunderClan.

Foxleap – Auburn tom, amber eyes. Mate to Cinderheart. Formerly of ThunderClan. Mentor to Snowpaw.

Eaglestorm – Blue-gray tom with white chest and paws, dark blue eyes. Scars under left eye. Mate to Squirrelstar. Father to Briarshadow, Fawnfern and Rosestep.

Blackfur – Black tom with white on muzzle, chest and paws, golden amber eyes. Mate to Leafpool. Father to Ashpaw and Snowpaw.

Thundershine – Reddish tortoiseshell tom with black paws, blue eyes.

Windfoot – Pale tortoiseshell and white tom, pale green eyes. Mentor to Ashpaw.

Shadowheart – Dark tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes.

Briarshadow – Dark blue-gray she-cat with black stripes and white on her muzzle, throat, chest, belly, paws and tail tip. Dark Blue eyes. Daughter of Squirrelstar and Eaglestorm.

Fawnfern – Light brown she-cat with golden amber eyes. Daughter of Squirrelstar and Eaglestorm.

Rosestep – Pale ginger she-cat with a darker stripe running down her back and white on her front left paw. Dark green eyes. Daughter of Squirrelstar and Eaglestorm.

**Apprentices:**

Ashpaw – White tom with gray on his nose and tail. Dark Blue eyes. Son of Leafpool and Blackfur.

Snowpaw – White she-cat with very pale stripes along back and tail. Dark Blue eyes. Daughter of Leafpool and Blackfur

**Queens:**

Cinderheart – Silvery tabby she-cat with scars marring her back left leg, dark blue eyes. Mate to Foxleap. Formerly of ThunderClan.

Riversong – Tortoiseshell and white she-cat with black on her nose and chin, dark green eyes. Mate to Tanstreak.

**Elders:**

Maplestripes – Brown tabby tom with white on his muzzle and paws, partially blind in both eyes. His rump is severely scarred and he is missing his tail.

Smokeface – Gray she-cat with patches of white and gray on her back, tail and face, white paws, amber eyes.

* * *

And without further adu, here we start, yes? :)

* * *

"It wasn't very long ago, young kits, when four warriors ran away from the Clan they were born in."

The elder's raspy voice graded on Briarpaw's nerves as she ran her claws through his bedding. She had heard this story in its many variations many times over. The blue-gray tabby looked over at her sisters, listening as raptly as the two kits between them.

_We're almost warriors, for StarClan's sake,_ the young she-cat thought irritably. _And here they still are, listening to nursery tales_.

Maplestripes continued his story.

"Squirrelflight, Leafpool, Foxleap and Cinderheart of ThunderClan, a Clan like ours but very far away, made the tough decision to leave all they loved behind. You see, they had made a mistake that broke the Warrior code, and their clan-mates didn't trust them anymore."

Briarpaw snorted silently and balled up all the old bedding. She was doing her duties as a young warrior, and Fawnpaw and Rosepaw were listening to a story their mother could tell them in her sleep. And it wasn't even the best story.

She nudged the mossball out of the elder's den, her tail twitching. She preferred the ones her father could tell; tales of adventure and daring and near-death experiences. Ones where he had only himself to rely on and only himself to care for.

Clan life seemed too easy after stories like that.

She passed a group of warriors waiting to be told what to do, her mentor Shadowheart casting her a narrow-eyed nod of approval. Briarpaw took the wad of used moss she had out the dirt-place tunnel before returning to camp.

She paused by the edge of the clearing, casting her deep blue eyes around camp, comparing her father's adventures to those of Clan life. She couldn't help but scorn at the differences.

Here, life was too predictable.

Here, you had a cat in your sights every way you turned.

Here, there was no such thing as alone.

Here, survival wasn't a question. It simply _was_.

Briarpaw watched as cats filed out of the bramble tunnel that lead to the forest to do whatever they had been told to. Just like yesterday. And the day before. Where was the excitement? She wanted _change_.


	2. Chapter 1

"_Briarshadow… wake up. Briarshadow!_"

The blue-gray she-cat opened her eyes. From where she was lying on her stomach, her chin resting on the ground, her entire vision consisted of two pale ginger paws.

"We have the dawn patrol, remember?" Rosestep continued in a hushed tone.

_No, I don't remember, not if it means I have to get up,_ Briarshadow thought irritably. The early new-leaf air was crisp, and it bit at her lungs as soon as she lifted her head. She yawned and stretched her forepaws out in front of her before standing and arching her back. Her breath hung in the air like a cloud.

Rosestep backed up a step. "Foxleap's waiting," she meowed before slipping out of the den.

_And I was asleep,_ Briarshadow snapped, following her sister.

In the clearing, a deep voice met her. "You took your time."

She glanced at the auburn tom. His apprentice, Snowpaw, was by his side shivering.

"I'm here now," Briarshadow meowed quietly, her voice almost monotone.

The rebuke she expected from the tom came in the form of a stern look, but otherwise he ignored her words. He stood up and turned towards the bramble tunnel that lead out to the forest. Snowpaw jumped up and darted after her mentor, her pale stripes all but invisible against her white fur in the semi-darkness.

Briarshadow fell in step beside her sister, twitching her tail tip. The forest they entered was glittering with frost, and she had to force herself not to shiver at the eerie quiet that came with it.

"I hope this is the last of the cold nights we have," Rosestep meowed, her soft fur fluffed against the frigid air.

Briarshadow flicked her ear in acknowledgement, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her littermate. "Hope is easy, but it catches no prey," she meowed, her tone flat. The cold would leave when the warm air chased it out. That's just how it was.

Rosestep centered her dark green eyes on her sister. "We must always have hope," the pale ginger she-cat reasoned.

"You can have it," Briarshadow replied dryly, "but don't depend on it. And don't give it to me."

They stopped abruptly a few paces behind Foxleap, who was talking to his apprentice. "This is the border we share with the dogs," he was telling her. "We patrol it often, because the dogs don't live together. They all live by themselves, so they don't all know that we're not accepting visitors."

Snowpaw purred and peered across the border. "Mom told me that the dogs don't want trouble, but they're too curious for their own good."

Briarshadow followed her gaze. A slender abandoned thunder path separated their territory from twoleg place. The path was grown over, almost claimed by the forest on their side, while the far side was completely blocked by fences. In the twoleg place, among the thunderpaths and numerous twoleg nests, were dogs of all kinds. Big ones and little ones, stupid ones and stupider ones.

"Dogs are dumb," she told the apprentice. "They think they own the world just because they have teeth." The gray tabby sighed. At least they were smart enough not to stray too far off of their own turf. Not any more, at least.

"We'll be re-marking the border starting here." Foxleap's meow brought Briarshadow out of her thoughts as he ignored her words once again. "Me and Snowpaw will head this way, you two can head that way. You know the drill. If you find anything unusual, report it."

Briarshadow wanted to snap at him the fact that they weren't apprentices any more, but she didn't. He wouldn't listen anyways.

"Come on," Rosestep murmured, sensing her sister's irritation. She nudged Briarshadow with her muzzle, but she just jerked away and followed the border at her own pace.

"Why do you get mad when the senior warriors tell you what to do?" the pale she-cat inquired, her ears flicking forward worriedly as she carefully matched her sister's pace.

Briarshadow's tail lashed back and forth a few times before she could control her anger. "Because believe it or not, I know what I'm doing," she answered in a flat tone. She stopped and dug her claws into the cold-hardened ground. "Let's start on the border. I'll get this marker, and you head down to the next."

She watched Rosestep as she offered up a last concerned glance before heading farther along the border. A frustrated sigh escaped from between her teeth.

Briarshadow moved her dark blue eyes to gaze across the border once more. She knew what the Clan was trying to keep out with the scent lines, but, not for the first time, she wondered if those same scent lines were meant to keep something _in_ as well.

Emotionlessly, the blue-gray she-cat added her scent to the invisible barricade, then padded soundlessly forward to catch up with her littermate.

* * *

Ok, this story has started off a bit short and slow, but it will get better... eventually! Reviews do help, thought I won't beg you. If you can't give me 30 seconds of your time to criticize or praise, then I won't spend hours writing you a story :3 -Shadow


	3. Chapter 2

When the dawn patrol returned, the sun was just showing itself over the distant mountains. The trees were sparkling with the early morning rays, and the Clan was starting to stir from their nests.

"I'm going to see if I can pry Fawnfern away from Thundershine long enough for a hunt," Rosestep purred as they entered the camp. "Care to join us?"

Briarshadow waved her white-tipped tail. "You might want to ask Tanstreak about a hunting patrol," she meowed, a mocking zing lacing her words. "You know how he likes to tell who to go where."

"He's the deputy. That's his job," Rosestep replied tartly.

Briarshadow knew her sister was used to this argument, and though she already knew the answer, the pale ginger she-cat repeated her question. "You want to go hunting with us or not?"

There was a pause in which Briarshadow's dark blue eyes pierced her sister's green ones as she pretended to think about it.

"I'd actually planned to hunt by myself today," she finally answered. She almost _felt_ her sister's eyes roll.

"Alright, well," Rosestep turned away, already heading towards the throng of cats clustered around the deputy, "we'll be around, if you need us."

Briarshadow sniffed. "Everyone's always around," she sighed. At least they all left her alone. As much as they could, at least.

Padding to the bramble tunnel, the she-cat passed through to the forest waiting outside, her smooth pelt gliding over the thorns harmlessly. She turned her nose into the wind, mouth slightly opened, tasting DarkClan's land and all it had to offer; the woody scent of the trees, the sharp tang of the frost-killed plants, and, ah… the musky scent of the prey that had felt it wise to stray from their dens. Big mistake.

_But… later,_ she mused, stopping by an oak. There was an edgy eagerness to her movements. The gray-and black tabby unsheathed her claws, feeling the sting as they met the cold leaf-mold under her paws. She twitched her whiskers before bunching the muscles in her hind legs and launching herself up the tree.

On the lowest limb she paused for a moment to glance at the forest only two fox-lengths below her. She tilted her head up, searching for the topmost branch of the tree. It was easy to spot, frostless due to the growing sun but enticing all the same.

Two words entered Briarshadow's mind, pulled out of one of her favorite stories of her father's. It was not a heartbeat later before they found their way onto her tongue, accompanied by a smirk.

"Challenge accepted."

With an involuntary growl, the she-cat used all four paws simultaneously to swiftly pull herself farther up the tree. Her eyes were narrowed against the cool breeze as she climbed higher.

Almost at a fork in the top of the tree, her rapid movements disturbed a bird, causing it to call out loudly as it madly fluttered away. She abruptly stopped on the thick end of a branch, having to swiftly regain her balance so as not to fall, all the while cursing herself for not paying attention.

"Foxdung!" Briarshadow spat, carefully waving her tail to maintain her balance. _Watch before you leap, and the birds won't make a peep,_ she scolded mockingly with the mind-numbing rhyme her mother had taught her as a kit. _So much for being a good hunter._

She looked down towards the forest floor. It seemed almost worlds away from up here. _One world, at least. _She couldn't have spotted one of her clan-mates if she had been trying. Which she wasn't. Honestly, she would be glad if they forgot all about her. Wouldn't she? _What's keeping me here, anyway?_ She mused. Fawnstep was infatuated with Thundershine, so she had her reason. Rosestep wanted to be the best warrior in the Clan, but didn't they all? To her knowledge, the only reason her father wasn't a rogue anymore was that her mother had asked him to stay. And her mother was the leader of the entire Clan.

Briarshadow looked away from the sun absentmindedly, to the border she had patrolled earlier. Her ears pricked up. She knew that part of the territory would be in shadows for some time, even if the trees were bare. Prey loved the darkness, right?

It was a poor excuse, so she carefully padded across her branch in that direction before the smidge of good sense she possessed could turn her around.

At the farthest out on her branch that she dared go, she shifted her eyes to pinpoint a suitable spot on the next tree over, the ends of its branches mingling with those of the tree that she was in. Her target landing zone in sight, the she-cat froze for a pawful of heartbeats. Without any visible exterior warning, Briarshadow launched herself into the next tree over, landing gracefully on silent paws. The branch swayed under her weight, but didn't break. She purred with satisfaction before continuing to tree-hop to the border in an almost smug manner.

"And I didn't even have to touch the ground," she gloated, landing on the last branch she could reach. Ahead of her now was the overgrown path and twoleg place. Below her was the border. Behind her, her home.

_If I don't go now, I'm going to lose my nerve again,_ she told herself. Talking about out there was different from actually _going_ out there. But she wanted to. _And this time I'm going to do it._

Briarshadow took her time lowering herself to the lowest branch. There, she sat.

She looked over at the twoleg nests. She pricked her ears, listening to the harsh, familiar-to-her sounds coming from unfamiliar things. The scents wafting over on the breeze, though faint, stung her nose.

This was as far as she ever got. She had been firm in her resolve that today, she was going to cross the border. But she was… nervous. "What if it's not what I expect it to be?" she breathed. "What if this is really as good as it gets? What if those stories were just… stories?"

_But,_ a small voice countered, _what if it's everything you've imagined, and you're just too scared to leave?_

"I am not scared," she growled. "I will go." But still she sat, unmoving, watching the same scene she's watched since her apprenticehood. "I will go _now_," she hissed. "What are you, a cat or a mouse?"

Briarshadow cast a glance behind her before jumping down, outside of DarkClan's hunting grounds. She wasn't overly cautious as she crossed the abused thunderpath, because no monsters had ever gone on it in the many times she's watched it. There was a gap between the twoleg nests and the fences around their gardens a few fox-lengths down, so she headed for that. It was the only way she knew of to get to the other side, except for going through them, and she didn't fancy having to do that. She kept her ears flat and her courage in the forefront of her mind.

But as confident as she way, the blue-gray warrior's pawsteps became hesitant as she entered the narrow passage. She knew that on the other side were more nests, and that they progressively got bigger as one went deeper into the twolegged's territory. That there were active thunderpaths that could get clogged by monsters. That this was where unfamiliar and often dangerous animals and twolegs lived. Her father had told her about all these things.

But as she emerged from the gap between the dens and took a few steps into the twoleg place, she knew she couldn't turn back. It wasn't the odd smells that instantly assaulted her. Nor the sight of the twoleg nests over her head, and the larger ones that towered over them. No, it was the warm breath at her tail, and the low growl in her ears, and, when she turned around, the sight of the three dogs now blocking the only way she knew that lead back to the forest.

"Well, you did say you wanted to have adventures like dad," Briarshadow breathed, eyes wide with fear as she stared into the snarling beasts' faces.

* * *

With this, we get to see a bit into Briarshadow's complex mind. There are many more levels, but it's a start. Any questions or observations?  
Ooo, and we have a cliffhanger and it's only chapter 2 *evil grin* Don't worry, this is where things get interesting. -Shadow

P.S. If you feel the need to yell at me because my writing sucks, I will accept that, as long as it is accompanied by at least one suggestion on how I can improve.

P.P.S. Thank you to the Guest reviewer! I got on, and I may have gotten over-excited about one review, but eh, it's my first ever. Cut me some slack


	4. Chapter 3

"_Alright Rosekit, settle down. Your mother will be back soon. Fawnkit, come here. Stop jumping on my tail. Briarkit- wait, where's Briarkit?"_

_Eaglestorm was sitting in the nursery, watching over his three kits. Squirrelstar had to settle out a problem with the patrols, and had asked him if he could kitsit. _

_Briarkit peaked out from behind him, "Here, da!" she mewed. "You didn't even know I was here!" _

"_No I didn't," Eaglestorm praised. "Very good." _

_The she-kit trotted around to his side on unsteady legs. She sat down with a bump and put a velveted white forepaw on his side. "Tell us a story, da. One of _before_."_

"_Before?" the blue-gray tom repeated, playing dumb._

"_Yeah!" Fawnkit piped in. "Before the Clan. Tell us the one about the first time you met ma!"_

"_No, no, no!" Rosekit countered, batting at her sister's ears. "That's too _mushy_!"_

_Briarkit watched them scuffle for a few moments before turning back to her father. "Not _those_ stories," she told him, placing both front paws on his flank. Those were all too not-actiony. "Tell us the one about how you fought off the dogs."_

_Eaglestorm purred in amusement, nudging Briarkit with his nose. "Fine then. The dog story it is." Briarkit sat in front of him expectantly._

_Rosekit and Fawnkit instantly stopped their playing and settled, for the moment, on either side of Briarkit. All three she-kits had wide eyes and twitching whiskers as they waited for their father to begin the tale._

"_It was around the time of the day when dusk was melting into twilight," he began. "The colors of the world were all blending together . And I, having strayed farther from my sleeping place than usual, was still out in the open."_

_The three kits shivered, already ensnared in the tale._

"_The first StarClan warriors were beginning to appear in the sky when I heard _it_. Howling, like nothing I've ever heard before. I crouched into a defensive stance before they were on me."_

_Briarkit leapt to her paws. "Who was on you, da?" she asked excitedly, already knowing the answer._

"_Dogs!" Eaglestorm growled theatrically. "Four of the meanest, ugliest brutes you could ever lay your eyes on. They had me surrounded before my heart could take another beat, and as they snarled I could see it in their eyes; they were calling for my blood."_

_Rosekit and Fawnkit were crouching behind Briarkit, who took a step forward, her blue eyes huge. "Then what happened?" she prompted._

"_Well, I knew that the only way out was to fight! So before any of the dogs could gather their wits, I sprung at the nearest one and sliced my claws through his ear. Blood sprayed onto the thunderpath. Yowling with rage, he lunged at my neck, but I was too fast! Quicker than a rabbit leap, I had him running with his tail tucked between his legs."_

"_Wha-what about the others?" Rosekit quipped, peeking between her paws covering her eyes._

"_The others? They were looking less confident but just as determined. The largest of the three shot at me, attempting to catch me off guard, but I was ready. I jumped up and landed on his head, then leapt off of that and onto his back where spun around and dug my claws in deep. The dog howled in pain and frustration; he couldn't reach me. The brute bucked and reared, trying his best to dislodge me, but I held on tight. It took almost all night, but the dog finally fell over, exhausted and unconscious. By then, the other two had seen enough. They turned tail and ran as far away from me as they could."_

_Briarkit was looking at her father, her large blue eyes brimming with awe. Her sisters were cowering behind her, peaking around her sides. "Did that really happen, da? Did you really beat those dogs so easy?"_

_Eaglestorm purred. "Of course it was easy. Dogs are cowardly, dumb animals. They don't stand a chance against cats."_

_The little striped kit gazed up at her father, images from his story dancing around her head._

This was nothing like his stories.

Briarshadow was running down the thunderpaths, turning this way and that to take new ones, all the while dodging monsters as she raced with the dogs to StarClan knows where.

This was not the time when dusk melted into twilight.

Their breath was moist on her tail and they each let loose a vicious bark with every pawfall.

There was no warning, no time for defense.

The brute in front took a snap at her hindquarters, causing the she-cat to go faster as she imagined the dog's long fangs closing in on her leg.

These dogs weren't going to be intimidated.

Briarshadow's dark blue eyes were wide with fear.

These were not the cowards she had grown up hearing about.

She zigzagged on and off the thunderpaths and around twoleg things; trees that were branchless and made of a rock-hard material. Wooden platforms a couple of fox-lengths long that were holding twolegs on top of them. Smelly things that she recognized as twoleg rubbish bags.

The she-cat dodged it all in her mad dash to shake off her pursuers, but still the dogs managed to keep her in their sights. She couldn't understand their harsh language, but the idea behind their words were clear; the chase was quickly coming to a close, and she was losing.

Her sides heaving, Briarshadow wildly looked around. Gasping, she turned down a narrow ally, hoping it was the one that lead to the forest. It wasn't.

At the end of the ally, she knew that she had no chance of escape.

At the end of the ally, she lost all sense of anything.

At the end of the ally, she skidded to a halt at the base of a tall, slick, wooden fence.

At the end of the ally, she was going to die.

Briarshadow crouched and turned around, her fur fluffed up and her eyes bright with fear. She let out a weak hiss in defiance.

The three dogs slid into the narrow ally way, pushing one another in an attempt to get in front. Their jaws were dripping with saliva. The one that was currently in front, a muscular and scarred black and tan brute, barked out a few words that echoed off of the stone walls of the ally. They were lost on the she-cat.

Briarshadow threateningly raised a forepaw, claws unsheathed. Her defense seemed languid against the aggressive image the dogs imposed. They snapped their jaws, and the ally was filled with the rocky echoes of their growls.

The lead dog barked again, ready to lunge at his prey. Briarshadow was staring wide-eyed at long, yellow teeth not a tail-length from her nose.

Abruptly, the dogs snapped their heads up when the bark's fading echoes were renewed. The she-cat froze. _Not another one,_ she thought tersely, unable to choke out the words past the panic rising in her throat.

A shadow was briefly cast down from the top of the fence before a solid form dropped into the ally directly in between the cat and the other dogs. Deep snarls emanated from its chest.

Briarshadow took the moment's lapse in the other dog's attention to dart behind a few shiny twoleg's rubbish cans. She couldn't try to escape without any of the dogs seeing. She was just as trapped as she was before, with one more dog on her paws. Her mind was racing, the question of when the pain would come was asked over and over. The tabby stole herself a glance around the canister.

The new dog, a large sandy-tan brute with a black strip running down his spine, was facing the other three. His muzzle was tensed and pulled back, exposing his sharp white teeth. He rapidly barked out an obvious threat.

* * *

Here's another chapter. I had it done yesterday, but I fell asleep before I could put it up! :3 I'm working on chapter 4 right now! -Shadow

Oh, I did have a few reviews to reply to:

Amazium: I'm glad you like it. I've been sitting on the idea for almost a year now, so my friend basically threatened me if I didn't actually write it :) Thanks again for the help. I really appreciate it.

Nightsky0208: Thanks! I wanted to make my own Clan for the story, so I could make my own cats with their own histories, but I wanted them to still be somehow connected to the four Clans.

And thanks to the guest reviewer! Keep reading nameless peoples ^-^


	5. Chapter 4

Briarshadow stared in horror as the leader of the three dogs leapt at the newcomer. The snarls that erupted from the two made the previous ones seem like soft purrs. Their muscular bodies impacted with a solid-sounding thump. Both dogs were on their hind legs battling it out with their forepaws and jaws, each attempting to sink his teeth in the other's neck.

Her horror was tinged with awe when the tan dog ducked under his attacker's belly and grabbed one of his hind legs in his mouth. He abruptly yanked upwards and out, causing the black and brown brute to fall to his side with a crash. Immediately the tan dog pounced onto him and loosely closed his teeth around his opponent's throat.

The other two dogs, who had thus far been watching, growled and began to circle around the two fighting dogs. Briarshadow was about to shout out some type of warning, when the tan brute jumped off of the dog he had pinned and straight into another, biting his way up its foreleg. The third dog grabbed his scruff and pulled him away, but the tan dog twisted around and snapped at its chest.

It let him go and backed up a step, and the tan dog snapped his jaws again, a whisker-length from the other's face. It turned around, slipping on twoleg rubbish in its haste to leave. The other two dogs took no time to jump on the victor, the black and brown one on his back and the other trying to grab his throat.

Briarshadow took a step back as the tan dog tried to shake his assailants off before rolling onto his back. It exposed his belly, but it also landed him on top of the black and brown dog, knocking the wind out of it. The tan brute launched himself off of it and at the other dog, grabbing its scruff and shaking it hard. A bit dizzy once he was finally let go, the other dog got to his paws and whimpered as he streaked down the alley.

That left the tan dog to face the black and brown one. Briarshadow crouched even lower, her belly pressed against the dirty ground. The stare down had begun. The black and brown dog, his short slick fur sticking up on his shoulders, looked beyond her comprehension of intimidating, but the other dog was matching him growl for growl. The fur running along his spine was also spiked, and his long tail was up and almost curling over his back.

Briarshadow jumped when the brown and black dog charged forward, its head lowered, barking wildly. The other dog was ready. In a blur of tan fur, he sailed over his opponent in one leap, landing on one forepaw behind it and, using his momentum, pivoted around to face the other dog's hindquarters. He returned to standing on all four paws and lunged forward, sinking his teeth into one of the other dog's hind legs.

The other dog let out a pained howl that quickly shifted into a whimper. The tan dog let him go only to snap his teeth at the skin at the base of his tail. He got the message. The black and brown dog fled, leaving a trail of blood drops in his wake.

Briarshadow watched him run until he disappeared around a corner. Her wide eyes snapped to the other dog. She backed up a few paw steps. The echoes of the fight were quickly fading, until they disappeared all together. The only sounds she could hear were the normal sounds of twoleg place, and the heavy breathing of the tan dog.

She peaked around the rubbish canister she was hiding behind just enough to look at him. The dog was standing stiffly, facing away from her, his muscles tense and ridged. His fur was soft-looking and the black stripe on his back, tail and around his ears contrasted oddly with the light sandy tan that took up the rest of his body. He had taken a step forward, and Briarshadow began to think that he would just leave and then maybe she would live, but the thought melted away when the dog suddenly pricked his ears and turned his head to look back at her in one fluid motion. His ice blue eyes were still bright with the fever of battle, and the she-cat took a large step back, removing her from the sight of the alley.

Briarshadow heard claws scrape against the hard ground, and she figured that the dog was turning around. She dared not move as the noise stopped. There was a quiet bark that barely echoed off of the ally walls, followed by a lot of sniffing. The she-cat pressed herself as far back as she could.

A surprised yelp sounded sharp in her ears. Then was something that made the she-cat freeze in shock. The dog spoke with words that she understood.

"You may come out. They will not fight again today."

_He… talks? _She gasped inaudibly. His voice was deep but light, almost like he was trying to be soothing and Briarshadow couldn't help but be curious. "Will you?" she asked, not moving from her hiding spot.

"Not if I don't have to," he responded with a light laugh.

She wasn't sure if she should believe him. Nothing in her father's stories had mentioned talking dogs. How was that even possible? "How can you talk?" she voiced her thoughts, still crouching behind the rubbish cans. Her pounding heart was slowly getting itself back to a normal rhythm.

"I use my mouth. How do you speak?"

Was he… teasing her? Briarshadow narrowed her eyes and peeked her head around the can. "I meant how can you talk _to me_?" The dog was about four tail lengths away from her. He was looking right at her, and his ice blue eyes, rimmed with black fur, were shinning with humor. She was confused. Here was a cowardly, dumb animal who had just fought of three dogs by himself and was now making fun of her.

"I know," he replied, raising his head in what she could only describe as an egotistical manner. "I was just trying to get you out from behind there." He flicked his black-rimmed ears towards her, lowering his head again a fraction. "It worked," he added.

Briarshadow flattened her ears and looked away, thinking about retreating back behind the rubbish cans just to prove him wrong. "You still didn't answer my question," she meowed dryly, reluctantly returning her gaze to him.

The dog tilted his head. His right ear was in danger of flopping forward. "And you haven't thanked me for saving your life," he countered in a smug tone.

"I didn't ask you to," the she-cat growled. Though, out of sight, her tail trembled at the thought of how close she had been to losing her life.

"Well aren't you just as prickly as a thorn." The tan dog sat down and used a hind leg to scratch himself behind the ear. "You'll thank me sooner or later," he assured her as he lowered his leg. "What's your name?"

"Briarshadow," the she-cat told him, curiosity really setting in now. Was she sure that this animal was even a dog? He seemed so… well, intelligent.

"Briar? So you _are_ like a thorn!" The dog barked out a throaty chuckle, causing Briarshadow to flinch. "My name's Caspian," he said, a bit quieter. "You must be new around here if you thought you could take on Rack and his idiots."

Briarshadow took a tentative step forward. "Rack?" she repeated.

"Yeah, the Rottweiler," Caspian told her in an off-handed tone. The she-cat gave him a blank look, and he tilted his head again. His ear did flop forward this time. "The big black and brown dog. Rottweiler is his breed. Like how I'm a German Shepherd mix? Don't cats have breeds too?"

Briarshadow shook her head, breaking her gaze away from his ears, miffed. "I'm a cat, my parents are cats, and, though I've never met them, I'm pretty sure their parents are cats as well."

"Hm." Caspian got to his paws and shook out his fur. His ear returned to its upward position. "Well, only the pedigrees care about breeds anyways. And they live in the middle of the city."

"Pedigree? City?" Briarshadow didn't like the fact that a _dog_ knew more than her. She took a few more steps out from behind the rubbish cans, now in full view of the dog that, she wasn't quite sure, may or may not still attack her.

Caspian took a step back, his large paws making no noise. "A pedigree is a purebred. Like Rack. I'm not a pedigree, because my parents were different breeds. And a city is this place. What'd you think it was called?"

"Twoleg place," Briarshadow answered, the curiosity she felt leaking into her voice, "because of the twolegs that live here."

"Twolegs?"

Maybe this dog wasn't as smart as she had thought. "The furless creatures that walk on their hind legs," she answered in a tone that questioned his intelligence.

Caspian laughed quietly. "Oh, you mean Man."

"Man?" Briarshadow repeated, the unfamiliar word feeling strange on her tongue. How did he know words in her language that she didn't?

Caspian took a step towards her and lowered his head so that his black nose was only a few tail-lengths away from her face. "Where are you from, Thorn?" he woofed, intrigued.

Briarshadow felt the fur on her back stand up. This dog was easily three times her height. His head was the size of her entire body. "I'm from the forest," she told him stiffly. "And my name is not _Thorn_."

"Dark Woods?" he barked in disbelief. "That's a ways away from here. Rack chased you from there to here, and you only have a cut forepaw to show for it?"

Briarshadow crinkled her nose and looked at a forepaw. "A cut-? Oh. How did you know?"

Caspian shrugged. "I smelt the blood. My Pa worked with Man to catch criminals. He had a good nose."

"Criminals?" Briarshadow asked, her dark blue eyes watching the dog as she ran her tongue over her pad.

"Man who had done bad things." Caspian backed up again and raised his head to look at the strip of the sky visible above the twoleg nests on either side of them. "Have you run away, or did you want to go back to the Woods?" he inquired.

Briarshadow sighed and placed her paw back down, following his gaze. It looked like it was well past sunhigh. "I should be getting back to my Clan," she finally meowed after a pause. "They will be missing me if I don't get home soon."

"Alright." Caspian motioned with his muzzle to the mouth of the alley. "I can show you the way back."

* * *

This chapter's a few hundred words longer than the others, but that's ok, right? ^-^ I'm sure that you guys don't mind. Besides. Consistency is so mainstream. -Shadow

Review replies...

Warriorsgirl12: I'm glad you like it :3 It took me three days and about fifty rough drafts to settle on the prologue.


	6. Chapter 5

"Do you really live in the cat clan outside of the city?" Caspian asked. They were walking on a stone walkway, bordered on one side by a wall of twoleg nests and on the other by a thunderpath. Briarshadow had her head down and her shoulders hunched, not sure what to think of the dog next to her or the situation she was in. Judging by the size of the twoleg dens around her, she guessed that she had run farther than she had first thought.

"Yes," she answered curtly, not looking at him. Her cut pad was beginning to sting, but she refused to let herself limp or slow down.

Caspian was unfazed by her irritable reply. "Wow. You guys gave the dogs that lived near the forest quite a problem. Who knew that cats could disrupt life like that, huh?"

Briarshadow knew that story quite well. It was one of her mother's best. When the Clan was first forming, dogs would raid the cats' new territory and steal prey, sometimes attacking cats. In a big battle, a dog was killed. They've stayed away ever since. "I heard that it wasn't that hard," she meowed loftily. "Apparently dogs don't know how to fight in the forest."

Caspian snorted. "Not when cats are falling out of trees. I heard that you guys used them like you were all squirrels."

"It's called improvising," the she-cat growled. "Dogs fight dirty, so did we."

"It's not fighting dirty," Caspian informed her as he led the way across a thunderpath and then turned so they were walking alongside it. "It's called using your resources. If something will help us, we use it." He lowered his head and looked her in the eye. "Winning is winning after all. The ends will justify the means sooner or later, hm?"

Briarshadow snorted and jumped ahead, only to sharply turn around to face him. "As valid as your point is," she told the dog with a smirk, nose to nose, "the cats won, and it was easy."

Caspian, who had stopped as soon as Briarshadow turned around, pulled his head up and looked away from her eyes. "Look who's all cocky about a battle she wasn't even in," he woofed condescendingly. "How old are you, Thorn? Four seasons? Five?"

"_Six_," she snapped, flattening her ears. "My name isn't 'Thorn', and you can't act smug either. You're just as young, _pup._"

Caspian huffed and arched his neck so he could look down at the cat but keep his head above hers. "I'm seven seasons old, _kit,_" he shot back.

Briarshadow growled and raised her forepaw, more of an excuse to get the weight off of her injury than an actual threat.

"Cool it, hot-heads!"

Briarshadow froze at the unfamiliar yowl, but Caspian just flattened his ears and grumbled a few unintelligible words before turning around. "Nip!" he barked in a pleasant tone. "What a, er, _nice_ surprise." Placing her paw back on the ground, the Clan cat darted out from behind the dog.

'Nip' was a bracken-colored she-cat, her yellow eyes hard as she stared at Briarshadow.

Wondering what this cat's problem was, Briarshadow unconsciously shifted her stance into a defensive pose under the hostile glare.

Caspian turned his head to look back at her, and Briarshadow, meeting his icy blue eyes, realized that her fur was brushing his leg. She flattened her ears and took a step away from him, her own blue eyes narrowed.

"So Nip," Caspian asked, turning back to the other cat. "What brings you here?" Briarshadow could tell that he was trying to hide a humorous tone, though because of her, or the question he just asked Nip, she wasn't sure.

"I _live_ around here, moron," Nip purred. She sat down and ran her tongue over her chest fur. "What are _you_ doing here?" She cast another razor-edged glare at Briarshadow.

Caspian lifted a hind paw and set it down again in front of Briarshadow before she could snap back a reply. "I'm just taking Thorn here home," he said smoothly. Briarshadow growled and darted around his leg. "My name isn't Thorn," she snapped.

Nip looked at Caspian with curious eyes, ignoring Briarshadow completely.

"Listen, Nips," Caspian said, stepping in front of Briarshadow, only for her to dart around him again. "I'm going to take her where she needs to go, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"I see. You have fun with that, will you?" The gold-brown she-cat got to her paws and waved her tail as she disappeared over a fence.

Caspian rolled his eyes and lowered his head to turn Briarshadow around with his muzzle.

"I can talk for myself, you know," she growled, trying to resist his pushing. Caspian just laughed.

"I know."

"And get your cold nose out of my fur!"

"Mmm… I think I'll keep it there."

"You will do no such thing," Briarshadow growled. She turned and swiped her unsheathed claws towards the dog's muzzle, but he wasn't there. At least, his face wasn't.

Caspian looked down at her, an amused glint shining from his eyes. "You ready to go home?" he asked, seemingly unaffected by her aggressive behavior. Without waiting for an answer, he continued walking.

Briarshadow stood still for a few heart beats, irritated at the fact that she had to accept help from this cocky dog. She briefly thought about ditching him, but with a resonated sigh she began to pad after him, knowing that she'd be completely lost without the dog leading the way.

It wasn't until about sunset that they made it to the narrow alley that led back to the forest.

Briarshadow had begun to limp, and her cut pad left an occasional smear of blood on the rough twoleg walk ways. After her early patrol, which seemed like it had happened days ago, and the panic-stricken run from the dogs, the she-cat was exhausted.

Caspian had allowed her her silence, for which she was grateful. She was overly curious about his life in the 'city', and the cat Nip, but the energy it would take to talk eluded her. She was having trouble placing one paw in front of the other as it was.

"You gonna be ok?" the dog now asked as they stopped at the mouth of the alley.

Briarshadow bared her teeth. _Dad was never worried over by a dog,_ she spat to herself. She pushed away the little voice in her head that said it felt nice.

"Home's not that far away," she told him gruffly, not even glancing over her shoulder as she began the walk through the alley.

"See you around?"

Briarshadow abruptly stopped, her ears twitching. It sounded like a serious question, not just a mindless farewell. "I-" she stammered, about to tell him that no, he won't, but then she paused. Making a snap decision, she turned her head and looked at him. "See you, Caspian," she meowed quietly before continuing her way to the familiar forest.

When she turned the corner and he was out of sight, Briarshadow let her head and tail droop. She slowed her pace, if only by a small degree. She refused to think that her show of bravado when she was led out of the city was to impress _that dog_. She was just refusing to show weakness. Right? Right.

Briarshadow flattened her ears. Nothing that she experienced today went along with her father's stories, and it confused her. She had listened to his tales and had grown up thinking they were true, because he had _lived_ them. Had it all been lies, or was it just a big misunderstanding?

The bramble tunnel that led into camp was in her view as she thought about it. Either way, she had followed the stories blindly, and it had gotten her in trouble.

Limping through the camp entrance, Briarshadow pulled up short, stifling a squeak of kit-like fear. _Deep trouble,_ she gulped as she stared into her mother's dark green eyes.

* * *

Here's the next chapter, though I guess if you're reading this you already know that, hm? :) You, dear readers, will be happy to know that I have finally set out the rest of the plot for the story! Lol, so far I've been pulling these chapters out of my- er, imagination X) but I sat down for five minutes with a friend and she helped me build a plan. No more will I write this with no directions! :D -Shadow

Review replies...

Doctor Who13: Thank you ^-^ I'm glad you like my story.  
As far as Cinderheart and Foxleap, I think I'm going to do a prequel. It'll show why the four cats left and how DarkClan was formed. I think I'm going to have it that Cinderheart left to avoid Lionblaze, and Foxleap left because he thought it was unfair how the Clan was treating Squirrelflight and Leafpool over the kits. I always imagined him as the runaway adventurous type anyways. He was feeling sympathetic for his mentor. Honestly, I put them in because Squirrelflight, Leafpool, Cinderheart and Foxleap are my favorite characters. Didn't have a plan past that :D I'm kind of pulling this story out of my head as I go along. I know where I want to end up, but getting there is kinda shady.

Amazium: Haha, I am always glad to hear that my ideas are unique. It pumps up my already too-inflated ego :3 It _would_ be cool if the Erins had a dog like Casp in their Warriors series. I did hear that they are writing a new series called... Survivors? Yeah, I wanna say it's Survivors, but don't quote me on it. It's about street dogs and... stuff that street dogs do... :)


	7. Chapter 6

Guess who was lazy and watched movies and various episodes of Victorious instead of updating? That's right, it's me :D I should say that I'm sorry, but I regret nothing!

P.S. My cat is a good cuddler ^-^

* * *

"I found her, mom!"

Briarshadow's face was carefully expressionless as she watched Fawnfern almost bounce to Squirrelstar's side. Judging by the tell-me-what-went-down look her sister shot at her, she guess that the pale brown she-cat was trying to smooth things over.

_Good luck_, Briarshadow scowled, her ears flat.

The only hint of the irritation that the Clan leader harbored was the slight twitching of her tail tip. "My den," she ordered Briarshadow. "Now, if you can find the time." Her sarcasm was almost palpable. "Everyone else, you know your duties."

As the Clan dispersed, Squirrelstar used her tail to motion Eaglestorm and Tanstreak to follow her as she headed straight for her den. Briarshadow knew that she had no choice but to do as her mother had said. She got to her paws and was instantly flanked by her littermates.

"Where have you been all day?" Rosestep meowed in a low tone on her right.

"Some hunting trip you had," Fawnfern teased from her other side in the same hushed tone. "What's with the limp? Already working on your excuse?"

Rosestep shushed Fawnfern with a low hiss. "This is no time for jokes," she told them seriously.

"Lighten up," Briarshadow meowed, shaking off her sister's pelts. They both took a step away from her. "I was hunting, but I didn't catch anything." Except for a bruised ego, to which she'd never admit out loud. She didn't know how a _dog_, a dumb, senseless animal, could possibly know more than-

"That would be an ok excuse," Rosestep interrupted her thoughts, looking towards the sky. Briarshadow sighed at her mocking tone. "If it was the middle of leafbare!" the pale ginger she-cat finished, once again glaring at her. "How could you not possibly catch anything? It's-"

"Briarshadow!" The yowl cracked through the air, stopping Rosestep's rant in its tracks.

"Whoops, that'd be mom," Fawnfern meowed, nudging Briarshadow towards the leader's den in the roots of the only tree in camp. "You don't want to keep her waiting."

_Yes, StarClan forbid,_ Briarshadow thought. _I bet Caspian never has to get scolded by his mother, _she added the path to Squirrelstar's den almost as well as she knew her own tail, Briarshadow let her paws work of their own accord while her mind wandered briefly.

She really was curious about Caspian, and city life. She wanted to know for sure if it was different than she had thought. And how could he talk cat? All the dogs her parents spoke of were mindless in their words. Were they lying?

Briarshadow returned her thoughts to the matters at present as she smoothly entered the leader's den. Sitting down, she glanced curiously at her father, but Eaglestorm refused to meet her gaze.

Squirrelstar was pacing in the space between her mate, deputy, and daughter. She swung her head around to look at Briarshadow. "You were gone the entire day. _Again._" She turned to face the other she-cat fully. "What excuse do you have this time?"

Briarshadow bowed her head as low as custom required of her, realizing that she would have to grovel a tiny bit to avoid severe punishment. "I was following a scent trail," she replied, the lie sliding smoothly off her tongue. There was no way that the truth would help her here.

"What kind of scent trail takes you a day to track?" Tanstreak asked skeptically as Squirrelstar returned to her pacing.

_Yes, what kind indeed,_ Briarshadow fretted internally. She raised her head and her neutral expression gave nothing away. "I wasn't sure at first. It didn't _smell_ dangerous…" She let a mildly concerned, brooding look flow over her face. "It led across the river and out of the territory, so I followed it there, too. It turned out it was just a flock of overlarge birds." She shrugged and resumed her neutrally calm expression. "I think they were turkeys?"

"You found a weird smell," Squirrelstar summarized, "so without any backup, you followed it straight out of the territory." The ginger she-cat's words were sharp. "You know better than that, Briarshadow. Riversong's unborn kits know better than that! It was completely irresponsible and rash. Not to mention mouse-brained beyond comprehension. What were you thinking?"

Briarshadow opened her mouth to offer up a dry retort, but her mother just plowed on.

"And, to top it off, you didn't bring home a single piece of prey. Not a whisker! And I bet after an entire day of tracking, you expect to be fed." Squirrelstar's tail lashed as she once again took up her pacing. "Well you can think again. I don't want you anywhere near the fresh kill pile tonight. And first thing in the morning, you're going hunting. I don't want you back in camp until you catch a suitable amount of prey. Do I make myself clear?"

Flattening her ears and looking at the ground, Briarshadow growled a 'yes', trying to ignore the fact that her mother's words brought her hollow belly to the forefront of her mind. When was the last time she had eaten? After the dawn patrol?

"Good." Squirrelstar's voice was softer, but still curt. "Now go to your nest and sleep." She watched her daughter stand and pad unevenly out of her den before turning to her deputy and her mate. "You guys don't think I was too strict, do you?" she worried.

"She'll come around," Tanstreak reassured her.

Eaglestorm purred in agreement. "This isn't the first time she's been disciplined," he reassured his mate.

"That's the problem!" Squirrelstar hissed out of pure frustration. Once again, she took up pacing in front of the toms. "This isn't the first time, and I bet you two a moon of dawn patrols that this won't be the last. Nothing seems to get through to her."

Eaglestorm cast a mildly amused glance at the Clan's deputy, who returned it with twitching whiskers. "Briarshadow's always been difficult," the blue-gray tom meowed in a soothing tone, "we knew that from the moment she was kitted. She just needs to find her place."

Squirrelstar stopped her agitated pacing to gaze out of her den. "But Fawnfern and Rose step have already-"

"Fawnfern and Rosestep are completely different cats, Squirrelstar," the deputy interrupted her with a flick of his tail. "They're only similar by the blood they share."

Squirrelstar sighed. "Creating a Clan from scratch was easier than controlling my own daughter," she snorted.

Briarshadow flattened her ears and quietly left her spot right outside the leader's den. They all expected her to eventually bend to their wishes. The thought made her blood boil. "I'm my own self," she murmured when she was away from their hearing range. "They can't make me do anything. I'd eat my left paw if Caspian let anyone tell him what to do."

"Who's Caspian?"

Fawnfern's voice made her jump. Briarshadow turned her head to see her sisters padding over to her. "No one," she told them quietly, hoping to end the conversation before it started. Apparently that wasn't an option.

"If he's no one then why'd you say his name like you know him?" Fawnfern countered curiously, sitting down in front of her. Rosestep settled down next to her, her green eyes trained on Briarshadow.

"He's just someone I met outside of the territory," the tabby told her littermates vaguely.

"Is he nice?" Rosestep inquired, flicking her ears.

"Is he _handsome_?" Fawnfern added in a gushy tone.

This was not where she wanted this conversation to end up. "He was surprisingly nice," she meowed lightly. She turned her head away, her ears flattened to the sides slightly. "And I wouldn't know if he's handsome; he's not… really my type." Briarshadow suppressed a snort of laughter. Well, she wasn't _lying_ to them.

"I think- OW!" Fawnfern scooted away from Rosestep's raised paw.

"You better be careful," the pale ginger told Briarshadow. "Remember the code." She proceeded to nudge Fawnfern away, towards the warrior's den. "Now let's all get some sleep."

"I was just going to tease her a bit," the brown she-cat complained with a purr as the three warriors entered the den.

* * *

I have to admit, this chapter was agonizing to write. I'm more of a romance-writer myself, so mundane events like this present themselves to me in a way that makes me wish I was having teeth pulled. Wisdom teeth at that. THEM LITTLE BUGGERS HURT WHEN THEY'RE GROWING IN! X( Tell me if this chapter is a bit boring to you guys, so I can work on my less-eventful events, hm? **Oh, one more thing!** **If anyone has any ideas for chapter names, I would love to hear them.** I'm great at naming the story as a whole, but naming chapters is something that I don't find very easy... -Shadow

Review Replies...

Amazium: I agree; having the Clan leader as a parent would definitely not be as fun as one would think. And the whole pup/kit issue will eventually come up (most likely in the sequel I have planned. Er, it is a cart-before-the-horse situation, no? Maybe I should just finish this one :)

Gingersplash Of Thunderclan: Would it be cool or not if Midnight was a dog instead of a badger? But then I guess that the whole battle in Twilight would be a bit different...

EscapeHollowFieldsClub: Thanks Dawnstar! :D I do appreciate your help and your yelling at me to stop stalling and write when I ask. Much obliged.

And thank you Wind, for taking the time to read and review :) I have tentatively thought about both a prequel and sequel for this story, but I am trying to not let my mind wander too far ahead (or back, as it were ^-^) Cinderheart is one of my favorite cats, too, so she'll definitely be in one or both. She doesn't play a real big role in this story though.


	8. Chapter 7

Oh my god guys, this is so so soooo late XP I'm so sorry! It's not because I haven't had time, because I've had plenty of it, I've just been lazy. Really lazy. I hope there are people still willing to read Dark Paths. It's getting to the mushy and the actiony parts, and once those come, I'll be dishing out the chapters like it's going out of style.

* * *

"Briarshadow, wake up! You have to go hunting."

The blue-gray tabby growled at the familiar routine. "I'm up," she told Fawnfern through a yawn, closing her eyes again. Her dream still danced at the edges of her conscience. She wished she could sink back into it; it was full of city streets and alley ways, all tainted with the same dog smell.

"No you're… not!" Fawnfern prodded her with a paw, claws barely sheathed. "Rosestep and Thundershine are waiting for us. Come on!"

"Why is he coming?" Briarshadow asked, opening one eye as the remaining bits of her dream dissolved. Her sister's ears flattened in embarrassment. "Why are any of you coming?" She had wanted to check out the border again, but that idea was squashed with the company.

"Well, I asked him to," she mumbled, not meeting her littermate's gaze and ignoring the second question.

"Isn't having to hunt this early punishment enough for me?" Briarshadow sighed.

Fawnfern looked almost offended. "There is nothing wrong with Thundershine."

Getting to her paws with a half-amused grunt, Briarshadow cast the brown she-cat an annoyed glance. "I wasn't talking about him. I was talking about you around him." She led the way out of the den, her whiskers twitching in halfhearted irritation.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Fawnfern responded indigently, following her out.

Briarshadow snorted. "You put the term 'infatuation' to shame."

A deep meow startled both she-cats. "Who puts infatuation to shame?"

"Thundershine!" Fawnfern leapt between Briarshadow and the tortoiseshell tom, her whiskers twitching in embarrassment. "We were, um, just- not talking about anything. Right, Briarshadow?"

The blue-gray tabby looked away, bored. "Hm, yeah, whatever," she mumbled, digging her claws into the dirt. "Weren't we supposed to be hunting by now?" Her belly was rumbling in protest of the leaf-bare like rations it's had in the past day. The sooner they start, the sooner they could finish. And maybe the sooner she could sniff around the border.

Thundershine purred in amusement and waved his tail. "Rosestep is waiting outside; she sent me back here to see what was taking you so long." He kept the majority of his attention on the nervous brown she-cat directly in front of him, but politely cast his eyes towards Briarshadow a few times.

Fawnfern ducked her head shyly. "We were- um," she stuttered.

Briarshadow thought she was going to be sick. She prodded her sister with a sheathed paw, trying her best to keep her mouth shut on the less-nice comments. "Well, we're here. Aren't we going?" she managed through clenched teeth.

"Right!" Fawnfern squeaked. "Le-let's go!"

_This mouse-brain is going to be no help,_ Briarshadow thought crossly, preparing to follow them. She stopped when someone called her.

"Briarshadow, may I have a word?"

She turned to face the source of the voice, Eaglestorm. "Yes father?" she responded, wondering if now would be a good time to confront him about the level of truth in his stories.

The blue-gray tom padded up to his daughter's side. Never one to beat around the bush, the tom cut right to the chase. "You're a pretty talented liar."

"I have my moments," Briarshadow told him, keeping a sarcastic tone in her voice. _Which time in particular is he talking about?_

The tom continued. "Well you'd have to be in order to make that half-assed tracking story believable."

She froze at his words. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she informed him. _Maybe this isn't such a good time…_

"Come now. You and I both know for a fact that _turkeys_ don't live on asphalt. The reek is all over your fur. You're lucky neither your mother nor Tanstreak recognized it. What were you doing in twoleg place yesterday?" Eaglestorm asked. He was trying to be stern with his kit, but curiosity won out.

"Nothing, dad," Briarshadow told him, slowly inching toward the camp entrance and her littermates and Thundershine. "I didn't even go in twoleg place." _I went into the city._ The word was becoming less strange the more she thought about it. "And now I have to go hunting. I'll remember to bring back a robin for you, okay?" _Please drop it._

He held her gaze for a few heartbeats more before dipping his head. "Do that," he meowed, tail tip twitching. "Just be careful of those turkeys," he mocked. "I hear the ones who live among twoleg nests can be quite aggressive."

"Will do!" Briarshadow threw the words over her shoulder as she darted out of camp towards the others. That was a lot closer than she would have liked. "Where are we going?" she demanded once she reached the rest of her hunting group.

Rosestep got to her paws. "What took you so long?"

Briarshadow twitched her ears. "Dad just told me to behave," she meowed in an offhand tone.

"Well you'll do well to listen to him," Rosestep scolded, "instead of running off like a kit."

Fawnfern, who was attempting to keep her fur from fluffing up in excitement, raised a paw. "Hey, what's wrong with acting like a kit?"

"You get assigned hunting duty before the dawn patrol leaves, that's what," Rosestep replied huffily.

Brirashadow growled quietly. "I just wanted to-" she cut herself off. No one was listening to her.

Thundershine tilted his broad head. "Does that mean you don't like fun either?" the tom asked Rosestep. "Kits are little bundles of fun. Saying not to act like one is just like you're saying not to have fun."

Briarshadow hissed under her breath. This is why company wasn't her first option. She could have already caught at least a mouse or two by now. "You idiots are going to scare away the prey from here to the lake! Can we stop _talking_ and just start? The sooner we get done, the sooner we can all get on with our lives."

The three other cats glanced at her narrowed eyes before darting their own away. "You have somewhere else to be?" Rosestep asked, lapping at her chest fur.

Briarshadow's eyes widened just a fraction. "That's… not what I meant," she retorted, her voice sharp, because there is a place that she would rather be. "I just-"

Fawnfern met her sister's gaze, and Briarshadow barely stopped herself from flinching away from the look of unbridled curiosity. "You _do _have somewhere else to be!" the pale she-cat meowed in a gushing excitement. "Ooo! Where?" She gasped. "Does it have something to do with that tom you meet yesterday?"

"It had better not!" Rosestep interjected. "There are other things in life than _toms_, Fawnfern."

Briarshadow leveled her head and began to pad deeper into the forest, her tail twitching irritably as she left Thundershine to deal with her sisters. If they were going to have an entire conversation between themselves, then she wasn't going to stop them. Let them think she was planning on meeting up with a tom. It would probably raise less of a fuss.

_I mean,_ she thought as she furthered the distance between herself and them,_ it's not like I want to meet up with a _dog. Briarshadow shook out her fur and dropped into a crouch.

The she-cat scented the air for prey as she slowly drew herself forward. A slight whiff of rabbit brushed over her tongue and she adjusted her crouch so the animal wouldn't hear her. Using her nose and ears, Briarshadow pinpointed the rabbit's exact location and moved closer. The rabbit's tawny hide was just visible through the bracken fronds.

Briarshadow drew herself forward with slow, deliberate pawsteps. Her prey was unsuspecting. The she-cat rocked on her haunches, then leapt at the creature.

The rabbit saw her at the last minute and shot across the clearing. Or tried, anyway. Briarshadow was on it and delivered a deathblow in the form of a swift bite to its neck before it had time to squeal. The tabby raised her head triumphantly.

"Nice catch."

Briarshadow dropped the rabbit and whirled around, bringing herself face to legs with a large tan dog. "Caspian!" she meowed in surprise, looking up at him. "What are you doing here?" She glanced over her shoulder, wary of her Clan-mates catching up to her, before returning her gaze to his. In no way was she happy he was here.

"Oh, you know," the dog drawled, "I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop in. Say hello." He took a step back and lowered his head so his nose was level with Briarshadow's. His right ear flopped forward.

"Do you know what would happen if you got caught?" Briarshadow hissed. "The Clan wouldn't exactly take too kindly to dogs roaming their territory."

Caspian sniffed. "Relax, Thorn. I'm not gonna get caught." He danced around her a few steps and tilted his head. "Actually, I was hoping to run into you." His ear was back to its up-right position.

Briarshadow turned as he did, always keeping him in her field of vision. "My name isn't _Thorn,_" she spat quietly. "And why would you want to see me?"

Caspian tilted his head. "I told you I'd see you later. And I've decided that it's later."

_Cocky mutt_, Briarshadow thought to herself. Out loud she said bluntly, "Well I'm busy." She turned back to her prey.

"Too busy to explore the city?"

Briarshadow paused, head bent over the rabbit. "What?"

Caspian barked a quiet laugh. "That got your attention."

The tabby she-cat lifted her head and glared at the dog.

"I just thought you'd want to look around, without Rack breathing up your tail." Caspian pushed the dead rabbit with his nose. "But, if you're too busy…" he seemed to shrug his shoulders.

Thoughts raced through Briarshadow's mind. On one side, she'd get to see the city and wouldn't get lost. Maybe even see how a rogue cat lives. On the other paw, however, to not get lost, she'd have to spend the day with a _dog_ as her guide. She studied her paws as she tried to balance out the pros and the cons.

Caspian yawned dramatically and sat down. "It's okay, just take your time." His bark was laced with sarcasm.

Briarshadow hissed under her breath and was readying a snappy comeback when a distant yowl reached her ears. She recognized the voice as Fawnfern's.

"Briarshadow!"

The dark tabby she-cat rolled her eyes. "She's going to scare away all the prey from here to the lake," she growled. Briarshadow picked the rabbit up, aware of Caspian's ice blue eyes on her as he got to his paws. She carried her prey to the closest tree and set it at the roots before kicking leaves over it. They'll find it.

"You have to go," she told Caspian, not sure why she was helping the brute. She wasn't going to actually go _with him_, was she? "Head back to the city, following the exact same path you took to get here." It might confuse her sisters and Thundershine if they did catch his scent.

The tan and black dog tilted his head in question, his ear flopping over. "And you?"

Briarshadow paused for only a heartbeat, distracted momentarily by the disobedience of his right ear. "I'll meet you at the border between Clan territory and the city," she murmured finally, meeting his gaze.

Caspian's eyes seemed to light up. "Great," he barked excitedly, before pinning his ears back in what seemed like almost embarrassment. "Sorry. That was loud."

Briarshadow couldn't stop her whiskers from twitching in amusement. "Right," she meowed. The she-cat turned towards the closest tree and bolted up the trunk, pausing on the lowest branch. "Go!" she hissed to Caspian.

With a nod, the dog pivoted around and disappeared through the undergrowth. Briarshadow sat on her branch until he was completely out of sight. _What am I getting myself into?_ she thought, her silent words tinged with half-suppressed excitement.

* * *

_. ._ I'm sorry I've made you all wait so long for this. I promise there won't be such a long gap between chapters from here on out, but I will accept any and all chewing-outs you have for me.


End file.
